God bless you, Auntie!

It has been quite a week on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. On both sides of our family we have lost loved ones. On the Krogsgaard side, Sue rushed home from Zambia on the occasion of her mother's passing out in BC. On the Ulrich side, we lost the last of my mother's generation as her sister, my beloved Auntie, passed on in her 97th year.

Aunt Mary has always just been Auntie to me. As a child, I guess I didn't realize there were other people who were aunts and uncles. She was always a special person in my youth (while we grew up just a few miles away), and I'll never forget how she could make frikadeller (meatballs) with new potatoes and parsley gravy!

After mom's passing, just over thirty-six years ago, Auntie kind of took her place. Not just the physical resemblance, but also the character traits allowed her to take that role for me. So, I doted on her a bit, and was able to give and receive the love that I was missing from my mother. We tried to take in a stop in Moose Jaw every time we were in Saskatchewan, and I shall miss our visits. We would always make her guess who we were, and she would complain about how she couldn't see, and we would drop hints. Finally she would figure it out, oh, the one from Thunder Bay (I should have written that with the h missing, as she said it!), and then she would greet us and tell us our birthdates and anniversary and the names and birthdates of all our children, and ask how they were.

She was spectacularly interested in other people, but for herself, she just wanted to go home. So, for her, this is a blessing. But for us, it is an inestimable loss.

Otherwise things have continued with pretty much the same routines. Investments have been scary as the stock market thinks it's a roller coaster! I made good money in the first three days, and lost most of it in the last two! In the end, I was up 0.1% to 10.4% total. I have continued work with lawn and garden. This week, I got my rain barrel installed with a diverter to collect water from the roof just in time for a shower on Thursday to fill it up! The seed is starting to germinate on the front lawn. The back lawn is lush and demanding regular cutting. On Friday evening, we had a special treat as Dave, Heather and Ariadne arrived from southern Ontario. Ariadne is a new friend from Mexico where she is an English prof at the University. Dave & Heather are old friends since our childhood. It was great to spend some time with them, and send them on their way on Saturday.

Wendy keeps busy. This week provided encouraging news as her hospitalized friend has rallied, and, it now appears, will be released from the hospital. We don't know whether she will return home, or to a care facility. She still must return to the hospital three times per week for dialysis and blood work. Today was very special for me, as Wendy came out and practiced golf along with me at a local course.

Erin and Kristian have continued with work and school, respectively. Both are doing well. Kristian enjoyed getting his first set of golf clubs this week. We enjoy his attempts to use them in the school yard across the street.

Trav continues as per usual with work, and is also concentrating a lot of time on a new friend.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It's been a nice week, with a few showers to help me with the watering of the newly seeded lawn. I have also done a bit more work on the garden, including some seeding as the soil is warming up. I am hoping the strawberries come back, but see no evidence of that yet. The rhubarb is ready for a first picking, so we will be getting back into rhubarb crisp soon! I pulled out a couple of stumps in the back yard, but that's a lot like work! It was a terrible, no good, very bad week on the markets as fear of debt in Europe seem to panic the investors. As a result, I was only able to make one sale, and only posted a 0.2% gain. We hope for resolution in the UK election over the weekend, and a more settled feeling overall, so the buyers will return to the markets. Economic news in both Canada and the US support the view that the recovery from the recession is progressing. The oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico initially pushed oil prices higher, but now fear has panicked prices about $10 lower.

Wendy seems to keep busy with a variety of activities. She did up quite a bit of baking this week. We always need some for Thursday evenings when we host our small group. She was also able to supply some to our next door neighbours who lost husband/father/grandfather this week. She continues to provide taxi service and other care for Kristian.

Kristian is progressing well at school and day care. He continues to produce longer sentences, and is very talkative. We understand some of it! Erin is quite busy at work, and looks forward to a promotion there in the next few months.

Trav is quite occupied with the travails of his Penguins in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Their current series is not going easily, but they're in good shape. He is taking additional training at work, so he will be able to operate their new Swiss-embroidery machines.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. Springlike weather has taken over with showers the last half of the week. We can certainly use the rain, as the forest fire hazard was extreme before this came along. I spent half of the week working in Kenora, and it may have been just as well as the markets were crazy with worries over the Greek debt issues and the Goldman misdeeds. However, I did sell the gold stocks I had been stuck in (thank you, Lord!); that was not only a great relief, but also a great benefit to my portfolio. In total I managed to gain 0.8% to improve to 10.1% overall. I worked on a data project up in Kenora. That seemed to go very well, and they've asked me to assist them more in the future. I drove up on Wednesday morning, and back this afternoon.

I can't say too much about life back at home, but all seems to have gone well. Wendy has been quite occupied with medical and dental appointments, and caring for her friend in the hospital.

Erin and Kristian have had a good week. Since Erica was down for part of the week, they even got to go over to her hotel and enjoy the pool. Kristian seems to be really getting used to the water, and paddling around much more comfortably. I think he got a fright in Florida, and it's taken a while to overcome it.

Travis had a usual workweek for the first part of the week, and now he's off for a weekend in Duluth, Minnesota.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another sunny week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior. The beautiful weather has beckoned me often to the golf course this week, but the partially done landscaping in the front yard keeps interrupting! I finally made it out today. I have also kept busy with investments, and have managed to pick up another 0.1% (far short of my goal) onto my portfolio. It's a nervous time on the markets as many analysts are predicting a "correction" (10% or more decrease), so I've tried to maintain vigilance while continuing to develop my protective stop strategy. Protective stops are put in place to get you out of a losing purchase without losing a lot of money. I have worked my way through about a thousand options on this and am starting to gain confidence that I'm getting close to a useful solution. It triggered on Friday at a loss of less than 1% below the high value, but it turned out that it was too sensitive as the stock turned around, so I'm making some small adjustments... My instructors advise that if I'm not taking some losses, I'm not taking enough risk, so I keep working, learning, and some days, improving.

Golf is beginning okay, although the hard hook is still there! It's the nature of golf to always be tinkering with your swing, and trying (hoping?) for improvement. I have played a few holes, but not a full game yet, more so because my main golf buddy is out of town. As mentioned, the landscaping sometimes gets in the way, and I've put in several days of work on that project this week. It is helpful that with advancing age and experience I have become much more efficient in my work, so much so that I sometimes find I can put in a full "day's work" in about an hour!

Wendy has been very preoccupied this week with a friend who is struggling for life. This week she was moved to the hospital where she is being supplied with blood and nutrients and is on the dialysis machine. We pray for another rally so she may return home and enjoy family and friends some more before her departure. Today she was eating on her own, so that was a good sign. Wendy is also in a personal development class this weekend with another of her friends. She is enjoying that.

Erin and Kristian continue pretty much as usual. They've been playing lots of baseball this week. Kristian is an amazing little batter for a four-year-old. Children often play tee-ball at the younger age levels, but he is quite adept at hitting the ball being pitched to him.

Travis is taking extra training at work, so he's been busy with that. He has commissioned his latest website. You can check it out at fossfotography.com Some readers will know Tami, and, for sure, she will enjoy any business the website attracts! As a former html instructor (and proud dad), I think it's a good example of quality work. Of course this evening was special as the Pens finally dispatched the Sens and have moved on to the second round of the playoffs.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

It's been a week of blustery spring weather on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. Windy days have kept my golf outings to a minimum, but I enjoyed them all the same. The discomfort in my elbow and shoulder is minimal, so that's good. I've got a bit more work done on the front lawn, but it's not level yet, and all those soddy clumps will take a few more rototilling sessions to change into something resembling soil. I've also managed a bit of work on the back yard and garden as it seems spring is about a month early this year. Investments have continued apace, although I was too scared to buy anything on Tuesday or Friday. Things went well the other days, and I managed my goal of 0.5% for a change to advance to 9.2% in total.

Wendy continues to be busy caring for the rest of us, along with several friends in the community. One friend has suffered kidney failure and just began dialysis this week; we're praying for better body chemistry as a result. Wendy is enjoying pretty good results for her own improved self-care of diet and exercise. She's even thinking of trying golf again!

Erin is quite busy at work, and managing her family. This week she got encouraging news of a potential advancement at work. This will probably happen in the Fall. Kristian started the week not feeling well, but has now reverted to his normal exuberant self.

Trav is in his busiest time of the year as the Stanley Cup playoffs have started! His Penguins have not been performing to his satisfaction so far. He's also busy with work, extra on-line training and his website contracts.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week of sunny weather has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. I have enjoyed the weather to get in a bit of golf practice and to get the yard work going. The golf swing is going well, and the early pain in my elbow seems to be subsiding—perhaps it's getting used to it! Perhaps my determination to swing softly is working, at least during practice times! We'll see if I can take that to the course; I haven't during my first sixty years...

I have roto-tilled the front lawn in preparation for some landscaping work, soil improvement and seeding. The "green grass" has worked so well in the back, I'm determined to develop it in the front as well.

Investments have continued, and I am now focussing on buying ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds). These will, supposedly, provide greater diversification and smoother growth. That has not been the case so far, but I am continuing to develop this strategy. I did manage another 0.2% this week, so I'm at 8.7% now.

I've been watching the Men's World Championship curling all week, and Kevin Koe has been doing us proud. He is in the final tomorrow against Norway. USA and Scotland will play in the bronze medal game.

Wendy keeps busy taking care of us, and catering to several friends who are needing assistance. Of course the management of Kristian's mornings occupies some time as well. Then, he's off to school or day care. He is progressing well, and seems to understand nearly everything we might say to him. We are gradually learning to understand what he says, and he is gradually learning to say it better! He talks a lot.

Erin is quite busy at work, and also takes time for speech therapy with Kristian both at the specialist and at home.

Trav keeps busy with regular work and special contracts. He is still doing final transfer of his latest website to its final home, and I hope to have the URL for you next week. I think it's a fine application of the technology, and having tried to teach the skill, I've seen plenty of bad examples!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

We have enjoyed another week of beautiful weather here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. I did get out golfing on Wednesday, just to make sure I made it in the month of March. My elbow did not enjoy getting back into golfing, so I realized I should have worn my brace. Otherwise the golfing was okay, I was just practicing a bit, so I have no scores to report—often, that goes better! I completed my first half year of investments with the end of March, and managed a some good sales that lifted my earnings to 8.5%. This doesn't compare well to the 15% I am aiming for, but I hope I'm learning from at least some of the mistakes! Today was the start of the Men's World Curling Championships, so I enjoyed watching Kevin Koe win his first game today.

I got checked out by my ophthalmologist on Monday. My sister had recently suffered a detached retina, so she advised me to find out how my eyes were doing. The doctor was very impressed with my vision, and I was impressed that he couldn't tell I had been surgically enhanced! He said my retinas and maculas (maculae?) were in fine fettle, with no evidence of weakness or deterioration, so that was encouraging. As many others do, I had checked out the issues in Google, and had begun experiencing most of the symptoms! My dad suffered from macular degeneration, so that part of the report was reassuring as well.

I am continuing to work on data-training with the school board in Kenora. The plan is for all the principals to learn some new techniques for data analysis and use. This is a big issue that is primarily why I moved to Ontario in the first place, so it is rewarding to be able to continue some of this work. The small schools I was initially working with have all been amalgamated into the larger school boards, but that was still the introduction that has allowed the data work to continue.

The warmer weather has Wendy busy with spring-cleaning. She has managed to get some stuff cleaned out, but requires more cooperation from the rest of us to realize her dreams in this area. She has also worked on a few Easter crafts, sometimes with Kristian's able assistance! I have been thinking about yard work, but nothing much is happening yet.

Erin keeps busy with work, and is currently rejoicing over the completion of Spring Training and is looking forward to the start of the baseball season. Kristian loves baseball as well, and can't get enough of playing catch, pitching and batting. I am continuing my search for a suitably-sized golf club for him so he can practise with me.

Trav keeps busy with work and contracts. The pressure is beginning to build as the hockey season nears an end; soon, the Stanley Cup playoffs will be upon us, and his Penguins will be feeling the pressure to repeat as champions.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We began the week in Kenora, at Eric/a's and drove home on Sunday afternoon. The weather was beautiful to start the week and some of the local golf courses have opened, but it turned cooler on Thursday and the covers went back on the greens. I'm still hoping to get out at least once in the month of March as the weather is expected to turn nice again tomorrow. I built a golf shag this week, and I've been searching for a junior golf club for Kristian. He seems ambidextrous, but when he swings lefty, he uses proper hand placement, so I plan to let him try that first. I've been watching the curling all week, and Team Canada has been doing well. However, they lost the quarter-final to Germany on Friday evening, and then they got slaughtered by Scotland in the semi-final tonight, so they'll play for the bronze medal tomorrow.

The markets have been uncertain sitting at eighteen-month highs, and while I'm fully invested, I've been unable to make any sales, so I remain stuck at 8%, and with only three days to go in my first half year.

The garage door opener has broken, so I spent some hours this week getting that repaired. I've also done a bit of cleanup in the back yard now that the snow is gone. I'm thinking of some more development back there to extend the garden, and possibly put in a bocce court. I'm also thinking about some landscaping improvements in the front. I've been waiting for the neighbours to do a promised edging on their driveway, but I'm afraid I'll have to give up on that and go it on my own. Two trees have been removed from the front lawn, but the soil needs to be improved to grow the grass well and the whole front landscaping needs to be improved, so we'll see how far an old man gets! Homeownership can take care of all available time and money!

Wendy has been busy getting her place back in order this week; it's never up to standards when we get back! She's also been catching up on business, mail and friends. Our income tax returns have gone through (thanks, Erica) and she also has plans for that money.

Erin noticed quite an improvement in Kristian's speech after the trip as he is talking a lot, and we're understanding some of it. She continues with her work, and there seems to be some prospects for advancement there.

Trav has been busy with work and working the investment club with me some mornings. He has completed a few contract print projects and has a nice-looking website almost ready as well. I'll try to remember to pass along the URL when it's ready.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

It has been another week of beautiful weather on Lake Superior in my hometown, but we've been enjoying the less salubrious climes of Saskatchewan. Even, so the weather has been nice here as well, with much melting, but there's still much snow to go! Back home, the fairways are greening, and thoughts are turning to the annual frustration! When we awoke Friday morning to fresh snow, we realized our decision to head east was a good one, and we drove as far as Kenora. We celebrated Erica's birthday last night. We plan to complete the trip tomorrow.

Thank you Dad, Dave & Kresten for hosting us so comfortably while we were in Regina. It was also great to connect with many others in that part of the country. Thank you Eric/A and the boys for hosting us this weekend in Kenora. Thank you Erin and Trav for keeping the house in order while we've been away—you have been keeping the house in order, haven't you!

The week began with a thrilling extra-end victory by Kevin Koe in the men's national curling championship. The week ends with Jennifer Jones and her Canadian women's champs beginning the world championships in Swift Current with a come-from-behind victory over Sweden. It's a great time of the year to watch curling! And we still have the world's men championships to come.

I have not been dedicating much effort to investments this week, and it may have been just as well as the markets have been sketchy. I tried one Trailing Stop ploy, but it ended prematurely and at a small loss, so I'll need do more thinking about that strategy. In sum, I continue to be stuck at an 8.0% gain, and I'm closing in on half a year, so I'll need to work hard for the remaining eight trading days!

Kristian has been travelling with us, and doing very well. Naturally he's been the centre of attention, and he likes that! He has continued to have some sores in his ears caused by the hearing aids, so we've been medicating that, and giving him more time without hearing aids in. Once we get home, his mom can get him whipped backed into shape!

Erin and Trav both managed to fail the Daylight Saving Time transition last weekend (guess they should live in Saskatchewan!). We managed it just fine! But then, we were in Saskatchewan!

Wendy has been busy with getting new toys for Kristian and helping with meals all week.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week of beautiful weather is enjoyed on Lake Superior in my hometown. But we have wandered westward to the snowy prairies, and are currently in Regina. To be sure, the weather here is mild also, and the snow is melting away, but it seems they had a lot more than we, so there remains much more than we can enjoy! However, we are enjoying a stay with DadK, Dave & Kresten. We have Kristian along with us, and he's really enjoying being the centre of attention.

It has not been a productive week on the investment front as I have made no sales. One stock closed to within pennies of the sale price on three different days, so, perhaps next week. The markets are at yearly highs (in fact at eighteen-month highs) so we are being quite careful in what we buy. We are also paper-trading a variety of investment plays to see if one of them may pay off.

We left on Thursday afternoon and drove up to Kenora, where we enjoyed another visit with Eric/A and the boys. Then on Friday, we continued the drive to Regina, arriving here in the early evening.

I have been enjoying watching the national men's curling championships all week even though my hero, Kevin Martin, was unable to participate due to his Olympic commitments. In his place is Kevin Koe, formerly of Yellowknife, so he has become a sentimental favourite, and made it to the playoffs. He won his two games today and has advanced to the final tomorrow against Glenn Howard of Ontario.

Wendy was busy getting errands taken care of and preparing for our departure. Now she is busy taking care of Kristian, and enjoying the visiting. If habits continue, I shall continue heading off to bed around midnight, and she'll join me later; sometimes, much later! We started the week with Eric/A and the boys visiting and celebrating Wendy's sixtieth birthday. That was a nice time! She is thankful to have been remembered by many friends and family for the occasion.

Kristian has been having some issues with his earpieces, so there have been some modifications on those, and some medications on the sores that have developed in his ears. This seems to be having the beneficial effect we hope for, but we shall continue to monitor the situation.

Erin is back home. She was coming down with a cold as the week progressed, so we hope she'll be getting better while we're away.

Trav is also back home. He continues with work, contracts and investments. With the markets iffy here at the top, it is difficult to make confident buys, but he continues to study and paper trade with the rest of us.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week of beautiful weather has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The snow is disappearing quickly, and it appears this will be the year we didn't have winter! If the lawn is showing, can the fairways be far behind?! The week started with a great celebration as we won Olympic gold in hockey, and ended with us skating on the Superior lake. With the low snowfall this winter, great expanses of the ice are clear, so we tried it out this morning. We found out it's still a lot of fun, but we're getting old! On the investments front it was a very good week as I picked up 0.9% to an accumulated total of 8.0%, so that helps me catch up a little. Then, this afternoon, curling coverage started again as the Brier is under way in Halifax, so that pretty well locks up the next week! Eric and the boys arrived this afternoon, and we're expecting Erica this evening, so we're glad to be having some time with them.

Wendy has now completed her teeth-cleaning sessions. She has more teeth; it takes longer! She even convinced me to go on a couple of her walks this week. It works for her, perhaps it'll help me. She keeps busy keeping up with Kristian most days. And she's started taking a reluctant Sadie (Erin's Shih Tzu/Bichon puppy) for short walks.

Erin keeps busy with work and Kristian—nothing changing with that.

Travis completed his hockey season this week as his team lost out in the play offs. Now he's hoping to catch up on his contracts and pick up more work.

And that's about it for this week.

Way to Go, Canada!

With the end of the hockey game, the Olympics have come to a close. It was a momentous game, and Canadians from coast to coast to coast and around the world are celebrating our place on the top of the hockey world. But it was much more than that! These games (They are only games!) have captured the imagination of Canadians like never before, and we have emerged from our carefully maintained shells to celebrate our nation. This was our third opportunity to host the Olympic games, and going in, one of the challenges was that we had never won a gold medal on our native soil. Alexandre Bilodeau took care of that shortcoming, but other medal contenders were falling short.

Our sports leaders dreamed of Owning the Podium—we might not get the golds, but darn it, we were going to win more medals than the other guys. Well, by the end of week one, our leaders noticed the lack of much of a collection of medals of any colour, and, in good Canadian fashion, they began apologizing for our audaciousness. However, our athletes didn't get the memo, and the medals began piling up, a bronze here, a silver there, and then gold, and another gold, and more gold! Soon, we had almost as much gold as anyone! Wowsers! What a party! Oops sorry, we shouldn't party so much! Sorry about that! Celebration so unseemly, don't you know—not Canadian, not the Canadian way at all.

Then we achieved the twelfth gold medal. No host nation had ever achieved more! Could it be? Were we as good as others? We were tied with Norway and Russia! And then a thirteenth, no one was better than that as a host nation! Finally, when Crosby scored and gave us that wonderful overtime victory in hockey, we were the greatest! No host nation, no visiting nation, no nation anywhere had ever gained fourteen gold medals! Stand up and cheer, and never mind the tears!

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We have been well-occupied with Olympic watching, but have managed to fit in a couple of other adventures. I have closely followed the curling games, and was disappointed to see our women settle for silver when we had two shots to win gold! On the men's side we got the result we craved as Kevin Martin defeated Norway to take the gold. The other crucially Canadian sport is, of course, hockey. Our women did us proud by winning the gold, taking a hard fought win over the US. Our men are in the gold medal game against the US tomorrow, so we'll be cheering! The weather has continued very mild, and we're enjoying that.

On Friday morning, our attention was suddenly diverted to the topic of hot water as our water heater quit. This has occupied plenty of time and effort yesterday and today, but thankfully we now have the new one installed, and hot showers are once again available. I haven't had much success on the investing front this week as I couldn't seem to figure out what was going on, and only managed 0.1% gain to 7.1% for the five months I've been working this program.

Wendy got some great news this week as her medical tests came back with much improvement in both her blood sugars and cholesterol. It appears her regimen of diet and exercise is paying great benefits. And I've lost a lot of weight also! (NOT) She continues with her other programs of activities as well, so she keeps busy.

Erin keeps pretty busy with work and Kristian's activities. He had a great week with firefighters and skating as special features.

Trav continues with work and contracting. He is also doing some training in more website design techniques. His hockey team is in the playoffs now, so the season is nearing the end.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued to be beautiful. We had a bit of snow on Sunday, but the strengthening sun soon melted that away. Since then it's been a sunny-blue sky week, and we've enjoyed it.

Watching Olympic events has been a special feature lately. I've tried to catch as many curling and hockey games as possible, and we're doing well on both fronts as our teams remain undefeated, and seem certain to win medals. We just hope they win gold medals! Women's hockey will be a tough fight with their arch rivals from the US. Men's hockey shouldn't be a problem if they get down to work, but this week's overtime game with the Swiss shows that any team can defeat you if they outwork you! In curling, I'm a little concerned about the women's team. They're playing too conservatively, too safe—sure it keeps the risk low, but it also keeps the game close, and anyone can make a lucky shot to win a close game. You need to put pressure on your opponents to make a lot of good shots. Anyway, I look forward to watching how it all turns out.

On the investment front, it's been another good week. The markets have turned positive and the new strategy continues to show signs of success. I managed 0.4% gain to 7.0% total. Travis and Dean continue to work with me each morning, and that's helpful, too. And, I often manage to meet my brother on-line, so we chat and commiserate!

Wendy continues with business as usual taking care of the details of our lives. She's had more meetings, another teeth cleaning appointment, and regular workouts this week. We also had the treat of a visit with Erica as she was in town for a conference.

Erin and Kristian are doing fine. She keeps very busy at work. He keeps us busy with his activity level. He wants to talk about almost everything, and we understand part of it!

Trav's hockey season is coming to an end. If they don't win their final league game, they'll miss the playoffs, so it could be over soon. He continues to keep busy with work and the odd contract for graphic art or website development.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week of beautiful sunny weather has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We hear of snow throughout the US mainland and wonder how it continues to miss us! Not that we're complaining, but we may be wishing for higher water levels next summer! And I won't be wishing for higher rainfall during golf season, so, just saying... We started the week watching the women's final in curling, and we end the week as the Winter Olympics begin, so TV will occupy some hours for the next two weeks, as well.

On the investment front, my prayers continue to be answered. With markets that continue to fluctuate wildly between -150 and +150 per day, we have been developing some new tactics. I have paper-traded our trading-range play successfully over one hundred times (Actually 256 times in the last four weeks, but who's counting?), so this week I put it into practice. It worked! For the first week in a long time, I was able to meet my target as I gained 0.5% to a total of 6.6%. And Travis came up with another ploy, so we've started paper-trading that one also.

Wendy keeps on the go with her various activities, classes and attending to several friends. Grandma's taxi continues to run regularly, and mom's laundry, meal and snack service is also in demand! We both continued with dental cleaning at Con College, and we still have at least one more appointment to go. It's more time-consuming working with trainees, but the difference in cost from $500 to $20 makes it well worth it!

Kristian has been fighting a cold for the last while, but he continues to attend school and day care. This week was a busy one with Valentine's Day parties. Erin continues to be busy and happy with her work at Budget.

Trav's team had a successful hockey tournament last weekend as they only lost one game. This weekend they're in another local tournament.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The clear, sunny weather has continued to make for a pleasant winter with very little snow.

Investment work continues to occupy our mornings. My prayers were answered as up days early in the week allowed me to sell my bad investments from last Friday at a profit. Then things went south, and perhaps I was also blessed with wisdom to avoid making any buys in that environment! As a result, I managed to gain another 0.2% under difficult circumstances, so we look forward with fresh courage. I've also been watching the national women's curling championship, but our local team lost out in the semi-final this evening, and our other sentimental favourites from Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories lost out earlier.

Wendy keeps busy visiting several friends and organizing our lives. Grandma's taxi provides frequent rides for Kristian back and forth to daycare as Erin's schedule calls for long days. We have also begun a series of appointments to get our teeth cleaned at Confederation College, so that's quite a cost saving. She has also been busy with laundering and mending the jerseys for Trav's hockey team.

Trav had a good weekend in Albert Lea MN with his hockey team. The team did well, and a highlight for Trav occurred when he sang our national anthem for the hockey tournament crowd. He is in another tournament this weekend here in Thunder Bay. Again his team is playing well, so they're in the playoffs segment of the tournament now.

Erin keeps busy at Budget, and at various school, daycare and speech therapy appointments with Kristian. He is talking more and more, and often comes up with little phrases we haven't heard before.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. A storm blew through on Sunday, so I was quickly back in the shoveling routine. It was wet stuff, so I couldn't even use the snowblower, but as colder weather was promised, I knew I wanted to get it cleared away before it froze. The rest of the week has been sunny, clear and cold. Our new chairs arrived for the church on Monday morning, so it was nice to get those moved in and set up. They look and feel great!

Trav, Dean and I have continued to develop our technical strategies. The market has continued very bad, losing more value this week. I managed to make some good technical trades, putting me up 0.2% for the week, but I also fell victim to my worst problem as I got attached to a bad trade and refused to sell it even though the technical indicators said to do so! Thus, I am now stuck with a losing trade over the weekend, and I don't like that. I pray that God will improve my mental discipline to follow the strategy that we know works. I also pray that the markets will go up next week so I can sell!

Wendy has had a bad week with a troublesome wisdom tooth. She finally got in to see the dentist and he passed her along to an orthodontic surgeon who removed the tooth on Friday. She's experiencing some pain still from the surgery, but overall much relief.

Trav continues with his work. He's away with his hockey team this weekend to a tournament in southern Minnesota. I'm sure the players are very excited for the trip; I hope all goes well for them.

Erin has continued to be quite busy at work. Wendy has helped out by picking up mom's taxi routine to get Kristian several days this week. Kristian continues to progress well. He's forming sentences now, and continuing to develop spoken vocabulary. He was even reading along with Erin on one of his books from school.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice, so I've kept working at the ice-coated driveway and finally got it cleared. Then the sunshine has completed the job of drying it off. Probably just in time, as we have rain and snow in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Trav, Dean and I have been working each morning on investments. It's been another very bad week on the markets as the TSX has descended to close at a level not seen since early November. As a result, we're working on new strategies that we may be able to use when things turn around. So, I didn't make any money this week, but I only lost 0.1%, so, I'm left sitting at 5.7% profit.

Wendy is keeping very busy with meetings, classes and visiting with her friends. She continues to work on improvements in overall health through diet, exercise and additional training. This week she is turning a bedroom upstairs into Kristian's room. He really likes it as Erica painted the walls with a castle motif.

Kristian has kept progressing at school and in speech therapy. His sentences and conversation are gradually growing. He has been fitted for his next set of hearing aids, and those should be arriving in a couple of weeks. He seems to understand nearly everything we tell him, but we don't always understand what he's trying to tell us!

Erin continues to enjoy her work with Budget, and is gradually growing into additional roles with that work. She has postponed taking classes for now.

Trav stays busy with his work, our investments and private graphical arts projects. He has several of the latter due for completion this weekend, so he's been trying to keep everything together.

And that's about it for this week.

Home Again

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. There are a few issues to get caught up with, and we pursue them with some vigour. For me, it's getting back into full-time investing, and getting down to the pavement in the driveway. There is quite a build-up of snow and ice on the driveway due to the mild weather and the traffic. Fortunately, the weather continues to be above zero each day, so I gradually get it chipped loose and removed. The deck melts off, so we even enjoy a barbecue this afternoon. It is a no-good, very bad week on the TSX as the market loses over 2%. I only manage a sale on Monday, and then gradually try to pick up bargains later in the week. Now I need the values to go up, or they will prove to have not been bargains! At any rate, I do gain 0.2%, so I'm at 0.9% this year, or 5.8% including the final quarter of last year. Trav has started working with me on this each morning, and he's bringing some fresh ideas to the stock selection process. We'll see how that goes.

Wendy has been catching up with her medical work and has begun take classes on how to manage her diabetes. Early reports are that the classes are great. She's enjoying them. The house has enjoyed a complete cleaning this week also, and a pile of laundry has gone through the machines.

Erin & Kristian are back in the routines of school and work. Kristian's communication and other skills continue to develop in an encouraging way. He seemed to be coming down with a cold, but has bounced back by the weekend.

Travis continues with work, but has made a switch to doing more of it from home, so he has the mornings free to work with me on investments. We have added Dean to the group, so we have a workgroup here each morning to assess conditions and evaluate strategies.

And that's about it for this week.

Travelling North

Another week has passed during which we have returned from Orlando to Lake Superior and my hometown. As we packed up Sunday morning, I checked the weather for Lexington SC... -8, -8! in South Carolina! It surely seemed an ominous sign! Were we making a big mistake? Was it too early to be heading north? Could it be that winter was not yet over? As you will see, the answers to all those questions was a resounding YES!

As we drove over to Daytona Beach and then northward up the coast we ground to a halt on the freeway–this has happened with disgusting regularity! A multi-vehicle accident had completely closed the northbound lanes. Surely this was another message to turn back! We carried on. A Jeep had tangled with three cars. The Jeep was the only one to sustain damage on both ends, so clearly it was a major player. By the time we got to the accident site (It was less than a mile ahead of us, but we were delayed over one hour while police and rescue vehicles attended the scene.), we noted that a multi-vehicle accident had developed among gawkers in the southbound lanes, totally blocking that side, and two or three more accidents had occurred among gawkers nearby these accident sites. As we continued northbound, we drove over ten miles before coming to the end of the stopped vehicles in the southbound lanes, and who knows how many more would be stopped before traffic started moving again. Freeways? I think not!

We finally got to Jack & Karen's, but we were over an hour later than we had planned. However, that did not diminish the pleasure of spending some time with these dear friends. We left Lexington on Tuesday morning, headed west. We got as far as St. Louis IL and spent the night there. On Wednesday, we continued westward toward Lawrence KS. As we approached Kansas City it began to snow. Once again we found ourselves in something less than a freeway as fender benders clogged the arteries. Once again we were about an hour late getting to our destination. Once again, we had the great pleasure of time spent with dear friends, Helen & Marti.

On Thursday, we awoke to the remnants of the snow storm. We planned to drive north, but I-35 was closed in Iowa. We waited. We changed plans. We enjoyed Invictus–thanks, Marti. We stayed another night! It was bitterly cold with a windchill that sounded frightening in either F or C. On Friday, we awoke to very cold weather, but the I-35 was moving, so we headed out and drove up to Minneapolis MN. The road was good, but the ditches and median were filled with stuck and wrecked vehicles, especially near Des Moines. We were glad not to have tried to head north earlier.

Finally, today, we completed the drive along the lake to home. It has been a month-long trip. We really enjoyed having everyone with us in Florida, but we're also really glad to be home.

I have managed one day of investments this week, but it was a good day, and I gained 0.7%—that's a full week plus some catch-up. Economic news was shaky toward the end of the week, but the TSX ended up in the green anyway.

Travis, Erin & Kristian have been holding the fort at home. We'll catch up with them now that we're home again.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Happy New Year!

Another week has passed in sunny Florida, but our time here is done, and we're ready to begin the long trip north starting tomorrow. We plan to be back in Thunder Bay by next Saturday. We have enjoyed our holiday in Florida, seen all we wish to see at Disney World, and become more aware of other attractions in this part of the world. We will look forward to another visit some time.

This week was spent with Travis, Erin & Kristian. We were in a new location near downtown Orlando, and enjoyed good access to Disney World as well as several outlet malls! Unfortunately, we often found that the interstate through Orlando was a multi-lane parking lot. Today, we drove the crew down to Tampa as they attended the Penguins-Lightning hockey game this afternoon, and are preparing to fly north in the morning.

The final week of investing for the year was only three days, but things went well and I gained 0.4% to close the year at 4.9% for these final three months of the year.

And that's about it for this week.

Economics 102

Happy New Year everyone! The year 2009 has ended, and while that date is an artificial boundary, it gives a holiday (and a pause) to review, reconsider and plan. It was a momentous year for us financially as, with the completion of my latest assignment, we have decided that my work should be the management of our investments. So, while I do that, I am also blogging the details. In education (where every common thing has to have a special name!) we call this metacognition! Enjoy!

I am calling this Economics 102 because I took Economics 100 in my first year of university, and Economics 101 is a well-used metaphor already.

I started my investment training and practice on March 9th. My first buys were on March 10th. Those who follow the TSX closely recognize those dates. They marked the depths of the most recent market crash. Since then we have enjoyed one of the biggest market surges since the Great Depression. My instructors lamented over the experience of our group as being so far from reality that we might not really be learning as we should. It was hard not to make money during the part of the year from March 10th to December 31st as the TSX rose from 7,567 to 11,746. So, I have determined to assess my success in the light of the TSX surge.

The first decade of this century is being well-described as a lost decade economically. This is certainly true in the US (Thanks there, Dubya!), but not so much in Canada. In the US, the SP500 dropped 24.1% during the decade (Imagine the additional pain if not for Obama's 23.4% gain this year!) The TSX rose almost 40% during the decade, but 30.7% took place this year, and even with that, an annualized rate of about 4% ranks pretty poorly against the previous two decades. Both countries have now pulled out the Bush Recession, and both of our main market indices moved into official bull territory in June, however, there are plenty of worrisome and difficult economic clouds still roiling through. Our economic health is so tightly tied to the US, that their continuing economic malaise is a big concern. Thoughtful observers see the current recovery as artificially based on the Obama stimulus spending and worry over the future. While he has been able to turn the TARP funding into a profitable investment for the US taxpayers, I do not see any prospects of an early repayment of the stimulus investment.

With that in the background I turn to the micro-economic picture of my own finances. My first simulated trading experience ran until July 17th. During that time, I achieved a profit of 43.7% while the TSX gained about 37% (My professional advisers gained 12.6%). The second phase ran until September 24th where I gained 19.1%, and the TSX rose 8.8% (My professional advisers gained 1.4%). The final phase (where I was actually investing money) completed the year; I gained 4.9% while the TSX rose 4.1% (My professional advisers lost 1.3%).

So, there's the assessment, now to consider the evaluation! The investment plan we are learning certainly allowed us to make great gains and surpass the markets (and some professional advisers) widely during the early trials, but not so much during the final phase. It is a concern that the final phase was when I was actually using my own money! Do I get too emotionally attached to the business? The final phase translates into an annual gain of about 20% which is certainly enough to support us, but not in line with the 30% we've been trained to expect. Therefore, while the effort will continue, I will also be reviewing my strategies and techniques as I try to improve. Travis has revised his working conditions so as to be more available to consult and support the investment program. We hope (and plan) for good economic results in 2010.

News Update

Another warm and sunny week has passed in central Florida. We hear of storms across the central and northern states and also in Canada; we even hear of a white Christmas in Dallas! We're glad to miss those! We have enjoyed another week with all the family, but now Eric/A and the boys flew north today, so we're somewhat at a loss. Santa did not miss us in Orlando, even though he was told to skip us for this year as the trip was supposed to be the treat. We feel especially blessed by the gracious treatment!

Disney has continued to be much visited, but with the closing of schools for the holidays, the lineups have become very long! We're finding it necessary to go early and get Fastpasses. Still, there have been times when we couldn't get into the rides we wished for. We've also been spending time in the timeshare's mini-golf, pools and hot tubs. Kristian has gradually become pretty comfortable in the water. Eric and I got out golfing once at Disney; that was fun.

Poor internet service and business with Mickey have precluded much investment work. I only managed one transaction and that was for a small loss, but not enough to change my percentages. We'll see if I can get back into it in the coming week. Travis has tried to continue with his online courses in HTML, but that has also suffered due to poor internet service. We are moving to a new resort next week, so we hope for better internet there.

We have another week here with Erin, Kristian and Travis. Then, we'll start the long trip back.

And that's about it for this week.

Merry Christmas to all!

Another week has passed in the middle of Florida, far from my hometown. The rest of the family has now joined us, as Travis, Erin & Kristian flew into Tampa on Wednesday. We have been enjoying visiting with Mickey Mouse and friends—sampling the rides, shows and other delights offered at DisneyWorld. We have also experienced getting lost in a variety of new ways, often while trying to get back to the condo from DisneyWorld, but also as we tried to get to the airport in Tampa! I think we have both issues figured out now. We have been introduced to a new "points-based" timeshare concept, so we will continue to investigate that as an alternative to the "weeks-based" timeshares we currently own. It's surely been great using the timeshare to accommodate the family together here in Florida for Christmas. The weather is very pleasant, although we had two days of thirty degree temperatures, and that was a bit much! Most days are in the low twenties and we are enjoying that very much.

I have continued to track my investments, but have had little time and sometimes poor access to do much. The TSX has continued mostly sideways during these last two weeks anyway, so I guess I haven't missed much. I did manage one sale this week, so my earnings now sit at 4.5% overall. Oil has gained some, and that helps the TSX.

It didn't take long for Kristian to figure out the DisneyWorld business. We brought along a stroller for him, but now, when I stop, he jumps out and looks for the entry to another ride! He also really enjoyed his first fireworks with full sound last night!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed and we have travelled from the shore of Lake Superior, my home town, to the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. It was quite a trip! We left on Monday, driving down to Minneapolis. I checked out various items from my wish list at the Apple store, and Wendy went upstairs to check out her wish list at the Lindt chocolate store.

Before leaving home, Wendy had complained about there always being a storm in Iowa, so she was disbelieving when I told her I had checked the weather and a storm was on the way! Once I convinced her that it was the truth, we determined to drive as far south as we could before it hit. We got as far as Des Moines (no less!). Then we checked into the motel and waited for the morning. By morning there was plenty of snow on the ground, but there seemed to be a lull in the storm so we set off for Lawrence KS. As per usual there were many vehicles in the ditches, but we had only one difficult section, and by the half-way mark the snow has turned to rain, and the highway gradually cleared off. We enjoyed our brief stay with Marti and Helen. We set off for Hernando MS on the frozen rain the next day. The highways had been salted into slush, so traction was fine. Still it was a long day, and it was after dark by the time we drove into Gary & Cheryl's place near Hernando. We enjoyed catching up with these long time friends from YK days. On Thursday, we set off for Stan & Pat's place in New Orleans. This was a shorter day, so it was good to get there during daylight hours. We enjoyed a visit and seafood feast with them. On Friday, we toured New Orleans and then headed east for Florida. Again it was late by the time we called it a halt and got a motel in Tallahassee. Finally on Saturday, we completed the drive down to Orlando, and booked into our villa. Eric/A and the boys arrived on the evening plane from MSP, so we're set for a enjoyable week of Disneyworld and other local attractions.

The TSX had a no good very bad week, so it was just as well to be on the road. I didn't buy or sell anything this week, although one stock came close to selling. So, I'm still stalled at 4.3%. Maybe next week will bring better results if the price of oil goes up.

It's the week of curling trials back home as they determine our national representatives for the Olympics. My favourite, Kevin Martin, is in the men's final Sunday afternoon. The women's representative was chosen tonight; Cheryl Bernard will represent us very well, I'm sure.

Erin & Kristian and Travis are holding down the fort at home. It's turned colder there with some fresh snow. Trav has had some difficulties keeping the truck running, and then the hot water heater quit! They plan to fly down here next week. We're enjoying 25+ temperatures down here.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. But it will take much longer than a week to get over the Grey Cup game. One saying in sports is that "you've got to play the full sixty minutes", and our Riders did that. Even after sixty minutes they were two points ahead, but there was a penalty, so, the game was extended one more play, and Montreal used that play to kick a field goal and win the game by one point! Oh, what a bitter pill that was! The Riders never trailed in the whole game–not once in sixty minutes–but it was not enough.

It has been a busy week as we prepare for departure on Monday. The snow has apparently been watching the calendar, and with the turn of the month, it arrived on Tuesday. Wendy has been busy ensuring all is in readiness with reservations and travel arrangements for the next month. We got sad news this week concerning the passing of a long-time family friend and great Christian man, Elford Bell, out in Gravelbourg. That is where I was born, and the Bell family is a great and valued influence on our family. Elford is missed.

I had two online training sessions for investments this week. I had a good week with my investments; I was up 0.5% as the first three days saw profitable markets before it turned red on Thursday and Friday. Thus I now stand at 4.3% gain after ten weeks of work. It will be difficult to continue the investing while we travel, but once we get to Florida, I expect to spend some time trying!

Erin and Kristian are doing fine, although Kristian has a bit of a cold. We look forward to when they will fly down to join us in Florida. Erin is quite busy with her new job, especially during the early training. However, she is enjoying it a great deal so far.

Trav keeps busy as usual. His hockey team is doing well this week, and his work seems to keep him busy. He, also, is scheduled to fly down and spend time with us in Florida.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. While the temperatures have declined, the weather has continued to be quite nice. We had showers on a couple of days, so it wasn't so nice to get out for walks, but, hey, it's not snow! As the week started, we rejoiced in the Rider victory in the western final over Calgary. Tomorrow is the Grey Cup game, and the Riders are big underdogs against Montreal, but, they still have to play the game! So, we'll wait and hope and cheer! Today we watched the university championship game won by Queen's University. It was pretty good football, although we found ourselves cheering for the losing team on this occasion—hopefully that'll change tomorrow!

The markets had another week of decline (must be following the temperature), so it was hard to make the decision to buy in, and hard to make money. I did manage another 0.1%, so I stand at 3.8% for nine weeks of work. I also did a bit of work for one of my old schools, but really, it was a pretty quiet week. I've been working on a couple of pamphlets in my own desktop publishing activity. Both are nearly ready for print.

Wendy has kept busier with taxi service and medical appointments and preparation for Trav's birthday this weekend. Eric/A and boys drove down Friday evening, so we celebrated the birthday with them as well. It is always special having the whole family under one roof.

Erin is busy in her new job. Kristian has a whirl-wind of Christmas celebrations at school and day care, so that's kept mom and grandma scrambling as well.

Aside from turning twenty-eight, Trav has occupied himself with the usual in coaching, work and contracts. He finished another production today, and got that sent away.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful and we've enjoyed getting out for our walks. It was nice to walk the fairways of the golf course (no little white ball to spoil it!), although there were many geese there as well, and they've left behind more than their tracks. The greens are covered now, but the fairways make for nice walking. The markets have continued to be difficult, although we did get back up to the levels (briefly) that we had enjoyed back in September. I managed only 0.1% gain, so I'm at 3.7% gain for eight weeks, and I've fallen behind expectations! I managed a little bit of consulting work this week as well, and the renovations have continued at church, but my part of that is pretty well complete. This is a big weekend for the Riders. They play the western final tomorrow to see if they can advance to the Grey Cup game the following week. Go Riders Go!

Wendy has continued to consult her various doctors, and I think we're now started on a diet. We hope this will calm her blood-chemistry levels. She has also taken on some of the driving for Kristian as Erin transitions into her new job. That will need to be resolved soon, as we're planning to head south in a couple of weeks.

Erin has begun work at Budget Rentals, but has also been called back to do more at her old job! In fact, she's at work there today, putting in some extra hours since they didn't need her any more! Go figure.

Trav continues with his work, and is off on a trip to Winnipeg this weekend. He's finding it difficult to set aside enough time for the investment work, and I miss that collaboration. I will keep working to refine the investment strategy, hoping it will require less time to practise.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice, and we've been enjoying that. We've been kept a little busy at church with the removal of the pews and the refinishing of the floor. Wendy has been scouting, researching and negotiating for the purchase of chairs. The markets have continued troublesome, and, at least to me, unpredictable! However, I have managed to make a few sales and gained 0.3%, so I'm at 3.6% after seven weeks, which is just slightly above expectations. I've been able to do a bit of helpdesk work for two of my old schools. One has even assured me they will pay me for it! What a concept! During the end of this week I've been enjoying watching the pre-Olympic trials in curling. The eight teams for both the men's and women's trials are now set. Of course my favourite, Kevin Martin, is among the group. I now look forward to the Olympic trials curling in early December.

Wendy has continued with her medical work-ups. It has been confirmed that she is diabetic, but they're hoping to control it with diet and exercise (I hope to benefit from that program as well!) for now. She is also getting an upgrade on her thyroid medication, so we hope that helps.

Erin finally got laid off from the job she quit at the beginning of the summer, but she has now been hired for another full-time job, so I'm still not clear when schooling will take place. Not only that, but even this week as the date of her lay-off passed, her old job was still asking her why she wasn't at work!! Kristian is doing very well with his schooling, his language development and his tormenting of the new puppy! Sadie has learned several locations that can serve as at least a temporary sanctuary from him.

Travis has had a busy week with many hockey games, and his team is in a tournament this weekend, so he's getting his fill of that. Still, he seems to be well-engaged in coaching, and doing a good job with it. From time to time, we have a bit of discussion about that as well as our investments.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice, so we've been enjoying that. I have continued my investments training with two webinars, and have also been working on some refinements to my technical strategy. The markets have continued to be difficult, so I only managed one sale this week. Some of the others are nearing sale area, so maybe next week! Still I'm up another 0.1% for 3.3% total gain. We concluded the week watching the battle for first place between the Riders and Calgary. It was a great (Riders Won!) game, so the Riders will host the Western Final in two weeks! Go Riders!

Wendy has been busy cooking up the pumpkins and making loaves and pies, mmmm, good! She's also been working on the selection of new chairs for church. We'll have a busy week next week as we remove the pews and work on the floor. We don't expect the new chairs to arrive in time, but we'll get by with some other chairs we already have. Wendy has not received any further news on her diabetes, but has been dedicating greater effort to diet and exercise in the meantime.

Erin and Kristian are doing fine. Kristian was ill for a couple of days, so he missed school on Tuesday, but he's back in fine fettle once again! Erin is making a few more moves towards her schooling, but she has also applied for a new job!

Trav continues with work, coaching and extra contracts. The website is developing fine; he's looking forward to learning the flash part of it whenever that comes up.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been damp, but mild, and we've enjoyed that. I've noted the golfers on the course as I drive by, and contemplated another round, but my usual partner has been busy, and I've decided not to bother on my own—must be getting old! This afternoon, I suffered the indignity of watching my Riders put in a poor effort in Hamilton. The loss leaves them in a must-win situation in their final game of the season next week if they wish to claim first place and home field advantage in the playoffs.

It's been another bad week in the markets, to close off a bad month. The TSX lost 4% in October, so it's been tough to make money. I only managed one buy & sell this week, but it was a good one, so I've picked up another 0.4% to finish the month up 3.2%. I also have some other buys that are not ready to sell yet, so I need the markets to return to the positive so the investments can flourish. Trav has continued in an advisory role as he continues to paper-trade. Hopefully, by the time he decides to get in, the markets will have turned upward again.

Kristian and I have been busy with Hallowe'en preparations. We went pumpkin hunting and got two nice ones. I've field-dressed them, and we've cut in faces for them. Each day as he gets home from school, he wants them lit up! This evening is the end of them, and now we look forward to their next incarnation in pie or pumpkin loaf! He enjoyed trick-n-treating dressed as the pit crew for Lightning McQueen!

Wendy has been working through some medical tests this week, as her doctor is thinking she may be suffering with mild diabetes. So, she's been going through the necessary blood work to confirm the diagnosis. And she also got her H1N1 shot—sore shoulder with that! Then, she's been helping me install a new garage door last night and today. This little project started out as getting the old door reset for winter, and noticing that one torsion spring was broken. As one thing led to another, I was soon into replacing the whole door! Anyway the new one surely looks better and it's insulated as well.

Erin has continued with a bit of the work she's been quitting since last spring! This week, she had some helpful news—she's being laid off! I think she may finally get to quit! Then, she can get into her classwork in earnest. She's also been enjoying getting Kristian ready for Hallowe'en.

Trav has continued with his work. He's recently picked up a contract to do some flash (whatever that involves!) work on a website, so he's learning how to do that as he does the project. And he's enjoying watching his Penguins reel off win after win in the young hockey season.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been fairly nice, and I contemplated going golfing on Monday, but I couldn't find a partner! As the week closed, we watched the Riders battle the Lions to stay in first place. For the second game in a row, they went to overtime, but this time the defense came up big with an interception, so we won. Now, it appears it will come down to one final confrontation with Calgary in two weeks. One item I neglected to mention last week (For which I've been severely castigated!) was the arrival of Erin's new puppy. Her name is Sadie, she's twelve weeks old, a nice little Shitzu-Bichon.

We had special news in the congregation as we've trying to sell our pews and move into chairs, and this week, we finally managed to sell the pews! We expect they will actually be taken out in about three weeks, so now we're busily engaged in deciding on what specific chair design to select for the replacements. Fortunately, I'm not on that committee. We checked the removal process on Friday. We took out two pews, just to see how difficult it would be, and what kind of a mess would remain on the floor afterward. The removal plan went well; we zipped those out in about two minutes flat! The floor cleaning will be a process!

It was another difficult week on the TSX as the markets declined 1.1%, however, I managed some good sales early in the week, and made 1% profit, so my total for the first four weeks is 2.8%, or somewhat above expectations. Now if we could just get the markets to behave smoothly...

Wendy has spent the week catching up on things around home: paperwork, vacuuming, Scrabulous... She is also working on the chair selection committee so she's begun research on that.

Erin seems to continue with pretty much full time work, but I don't see any school work getting done! Kristian is enjoying school, enjoying his new puppy, and glad to have his grandparents home. And we're glad to be home with him, too!

Travis continues with work. He donated his old car to Youth Challenge, so that's cleared out of the yard. We enjoyed going to one of the hockey games of the team he coaches.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed and we have returned to the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown. We spent most of the week up in Kenora at Eric/A's completing the renovation project. It turned out looking pretty good, in my opinion! Now, they just need to get the electrician in to install the permanent heating. We enjoyed out time up there. We drove home here on Friday. This afternoon we enjoyed watching the Rider-Calgary game for first place. It was a great game, but even after overtime, it ended in a tie! So, they remain tied for first place as well! Wendy was very involved in the redecoration aspects of the work in Kenora; now, she wants to get into the renovations here!

It was a difficult week in the markets, so, while I managed to get some more buys, I didn't get to sell anything, so, I can't claim any gains. Thus, the status remains quo. Maybe next week...

Erin and Kristian have been taking care of things around home. That has gone well. I managed another conversation with Kristian on the phone from Kenora. He seemed to put together a sentence of his own for the first time. That was great!

Trav has contnued with his work, including a lovely advertising brochure he put togther for one of his private clients. He continues to enjoy coaching hockey, and his team is enjoying success recently as well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

This week's end finds us on the shore of the Winnipeg River, in Kenora. We are finally here to do the renovation on the suite for Eric/A. And we get the bonus of spending time with them and the boys, although, it turns out, they're seldom home! What busy lives! At long last, we've managed to get everything together for the work, so we drove up here on Tuesday. We took the long way around through Fort Frances, enjoying the fall colours a great deal. This morning, we woke to another of nature's surprises—snow! So, we enjoyed sitting in the warmth and watching the Riders play Toronto this evening. Their victory moved them back into a first place tie.

We've been completing the installation of a spiral staircase, correction of the main beam, and completion of all that remained outstanding on this project initiated by an earlier owner of their place, and never completed to a habitable condition. We hope to complete our part in the next few days and head back to TBay on Wednesday.

While this is going on, I've also continued with my investments via internet, and had a good week with a 1% gain. I also took another webinar to continue with my investment education. Trav and I are able to spend time together via chat as we consider the markets and make our decisions.

Wendy has been assisting with the construction work, and has now begun working on decorations and trim. I still have some drywalling to complete in the bedroom, then she'll also get going on the painting down there.

Erin & Kristian have been taking care of the place in TBay, and continuing with work and school. Last night when I called, Kristian picked up the phone and said, "Hello." When I responded, he continued, "It's papa! Hi, papa." What a thrill to hear him communicate. I think it's probably the first time I've actually had a chat with him on the phone.

Along with work, Travis and the Elks have now begun their hockey season. They've played a couple of games and Travis allows that he's really liking it.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Fall has arrived on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We had a good frosting this week. I had the tomatoes covered, so they survived, but my squash vines are finished! I managed to harvest another thirty-seven spaghetti squash and three butternut squash. We hope they'll keep for awhile as we try to eat as many as possible. We are failing to keep ahead of the tomatoes, but they're surely delicious anyway! Last night, the Riders fell (with five seconds left on the clock) to BC.

The markets suffered another bad week; the TSX dropped 2.3%, and I, unfortunately, participated in part of that, so I'm down 0.8% this week. It seems to be a pretty shaky time in the market, so we're trying to be careful. Trav was more careful than I, so he's up for the week! (Smart alec!) I got a small contract with one of the School Boards; it amounts to about a week of work, but every bit helps.

The weather has been cool and rainy most of the week, so we've realized the seasonal change. I got two new tires on the truck. We plan to take it to Kenora next week.

Kristian is doing well in school. Erin continues to work almost full-time although classes have supposedly started. We don't see how this is going to work!

Trav is delighting in the start of another hockey season. He's working with the hockey team he coaches, and following the success of the Penguins as well. Then, of course, there's also work, and he's completed (read: got paid) for another contract as well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. Quite a week it has been, too! Contrary to expectations, Wendy did not return on Monday evening, but she did get back on Tuesday. She reports having a good time in southern Ontario, and enjoying the scenic drive there and back. She enjoyed a good weekend with the ladies who gathered near Owen Sound for a retreat! She enjoyed the trip with Linda, and that Bob joined them to help with the driving on the return portion.

On Wednesday, Tom & Mariette arrived and stayed until Friday, as they were on their way to southern Ontario themselves. (What is it with southern Ontario that makes it so attractive?!) They brought a batch of tomatoes from their garden–delicious! Tom & I got out golfing on Thursday with my usual partner, John, and his son Brian. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun. I estimate it was probably my best driving experience of the season.

Also on Wednesday, our cousin (of some number), Nathan, and his band (Trip Meter) of five guys arrived from Saskatchewan. They had an engagement (Do they still call them Gigs?) here in town that night, and then slept through the next morning in our basement. Then they continued on to Marathon on Thursday. It was good to see them, and we're thankful for the ring they left with us (We only got $45 for it, but it was all profit!). Actually, we got that mailed on to Quebec on Friday, so hopefully they'll catch up with it.

Our pension funds are mostly transferred over now to iTrade, so I began trading in real money this week. It was a no good, very bad week on the TSX (-2%), but we managed to have one very good day, so I completed the week with a gain of 1.7%.

Kristian is now fairly well established in his school routine. The taxi picks him up each morning, and also takes him from school to day care at the end of the day. Kristian appears to enjoy school very much and is making progress. Erin continues to work nearly everyday, and we're concerned over how she will manage nearly full-time work in addition to her courses! This was not the plan!

Travis continues with his work and his contracting. He's been very busy this week with the start of hockey season as they had many evenings of scouting the hundreds of players and then drafting their team for the season. He's enjoying that very much so far. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the games.

The week ends in front of the TV as we watch the Riders battle the Edmonton Eskimos for the second time this week. Edmonton had a heart-wrenching last minute victory on Sunday, so it was delightful to see the Riders return the favour in Edmonton this evening. As a result the Riders move into a first place tie with Calgary.

And that's about enough for this week!

News Update

Another week has passed here on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. We started the week with a full-house as Eric/A and the boys were here along with Dad and Dave. That was fun! We celebrated Kristian's fourth birthday several times, and he appeared to enjoy them all! We enjoyed watching the Riders knock off Winnipeg for a second straight game as the Riders moved into a first place tie in the West. Eric/A and the boys left on Sunday. Dad and Dave left on Tuesday. Wendy left on Thursday. This weekend the house is much less busy!

Wendy is off for the weekend in southern Ontario, near Owen Sound, to a ladies' retreat. She's called back a couple of times, so we're assured she had a safe trip and she is enjoying herself. We expect her back on Monday evening.

Kristian is enjoying school a great deal. They have been making adjustments to get his hearing aids working with their FM broadcasting system in the classroom. Erin also has had some extra training and orientation times this week to assist with his learning. We're expecting great growth in his vocabulary in the next months. Erin has also continued to work most days despite being 'on leave'—I don't think that company understands the term! They were even pressuring her to come in and work today!

Trav continues with his work. He is also coaching hockey this year and has been involved with the entire coaching staff in scouting prospects in preparation for the draft of hockey players for the coming season. We continue to work on the investment training; we had another great week with gains of nearly 4%—that's two months' work!

The weather has been great, and I got out for a morning of golf on Friday. That was more encouraging after recent sessions that saw me playing pretty poorly.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

We've had a busy week on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. Company has arrived and Kristian has started school! Wendy's brother, Dave, and her father drove down from Regina this week, arriving here on Tuesday. We are enjoying having their company. Eric/A and the boys arrived on Friday night, so we have a full house this weekend. We celebrated Kristian's birthday tonight, although the actual date is the 16th. It is good to have cousins, uncles, aunties, grandparents and great grandfather here for the occasion.

Wendy has, of course, been kept very busy feeding us all and staying up verrrry late to visit with our company! Travis and I have continued with our investment training and have this week been established in a group of investors to further refine our strategies. It's been a good week for our investments and I've increased my gain to 13.6% with some good buys. Our accounts have now been opened in Scotia iTrade, so reality is staring us in the face! We're blinking!!

Kristian's first day in Junior Kindergarten went well, and Erin also survived it. The school situation seems to be very well suited to him, and Erin very much likes his Principal, Teacher and Educational Assistant. They have facility there for FM broadcast of instructions, and his hearing aides are adaptable for this as well. I am expecting rapid advancement with his full-time EA and well-planned program.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

A quiet week rolls by on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The weather is beautiful, and I manage one golf game—a poor game, but a game, nonetheless. The garden continues to produce, except for the strawberries. It seems that I made a mistake there; I let the strawberries spread a bit via runners to get some additional plants, and now I get no flowers, and no fruit. The vines have been spreading through the border region and are producing something! We don't know which vines even came up, let alone which are which! It appears we have some kinds of zucchini or squash. I think I would recognize any pumpkins.

Wendy has been on an office-cleaning binge. My office—my stuff—being interfered with! Can you imagine! The results are a clean and tidy office in which I can find virtually nothing! And the mind numbs at the thought of what has been disposed of!! She continues to wait to hear about her job application at the university. We suppose we'll find out some time this month.

Erin and Kristian have continued their preparations for school. The taxi showed up at Day Care one day to pick up Kristian, but apparently he has started his school career by playing hooky! Perhaps he heard the Prime Minister was going to address the students to encourage them to work hard and stay in school! Yeesh! Erin has also continued with almost full-time work.

My work has officially ended, and I turned my equipment back in on Monday. On Wednesday, I was asked to come back and pick it up again! Apparently, at least one of the District School Boards who took over our School Authorities wants some help within my purview. So, I may be working again! This particular assignment appears to be about a month's worth of work, but probably spread out over much of the year. My other work/training has continued. It was a difficult week for us in the investment game, but I managed to gain 0.5% for the week, so that's good! I have also sent off my retirement accounts to Scotia iShare, so we'll see how long that transfer takes. September is supposedly a bad month for investments, so I guess there's no rush! I didn't get over the school bus people; maybe I'll manage it next week.

Travis has continued with his work, and has also been taking a hockey coaching course as he'll be serving as assistant coach with a midget-age team here in TBay.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. I did some fruitless investigations of my Employment Insurance situation. It's amazing to come to understand just why I don't qualify while others do! I guess I need to go back and spend more time learning how to game the system before I get to this advanced age. If I had used a more acceptable address, and reported my income in a more acceptable way, I would have been accepted for more insurance and a longer time! Who knew? Well, actually some people do know, but I did not. I managed to get out for a couple of golf games, but results were unspectacular.

I applied for a job with an online-supported First Nations high school. That was successful, but after we considered the option of moving to Pickle Lake so I could drive daily out to Osnaburgh, we determined that this was too much of an adventure for us! So, I'm still wondering what to do now that I'm almost grown up! I plan to check out school-bus driving next week. That seems a good fit with what is planned to be my main occupation—investment manager. Trav and I continued our practice this week. It was a very good week despite the (perhaps because of the) fluctuating markets. I made over 3% and now stand at 10.5% for six weeks of work. Our tutors keep reminding us that it will be much more difficult in reality, so we are tempering our enthusiasm.

Wendy has applied on a job as an administrative assistant at the University. I think she's the ideal candidate as the job requirements seem to match not just her skills but her penchant. It will be some weeks yet before she finds out the results of her application.

Erin has continued her non-working work. She has also completed her registration for college with coursework starting in September. She's off to Winnipeg this weekend to enjoy a weekend with a friend, Jolie, who lives there. We have Kristian with us, so it's a busy weekend.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. We started the week with the joy of watching a Rider victory, and last evening suffered through a Rider defeat! However, both games provided some encouragement over the development of the team. Tuesday provided the surprising news that my Employment Insurance had ended. Having not been a user of the same, I didn't understand how it worked! I thought when they said I was eligible until November 2009, that I would be getting money until then—silly me! I have a couple weeks of work helping schools finish their reports to the Ministry, and then I'll reapply, but in reality, I expect it means that I need to push forward even more quickly on the investments program. I am working on my iTrade application this weekend–the final step to getting my pension money into my own hands! Scares me! I had a difficult (albeit successful) week on the markets and now stand at 6.9% gain for five weeks of investing.

The weather has been mixed—a few sunny days mixed between a several rainy days! We enjoyed a evening with the church leadership team out at our friends' place on the lakeshore, and also came home with a load of raspberries—they surely combined well with our rhubarb to make a fine batch of pies!

Wendy has a lead on a good job, so we hope that works out. She has spent a lot of time this week getting a winter trip to Florida arranged, and that looks ready for December. We expect our children and grandchildren to join us for parts of the time there, so we're looking forward to that!

Erin has continued her unemployed working! She seems to be working almost full-time even though she's trying to quit. She has also been setting up her courses that begin in September, and that appears to be coming together well. And, she celebrated her birthday this week; her request was filet at the local stcak house! Kristian got his new ear-pieces this week. These fit well, and have eliminated the annoying whistling the old ones were producing. At least we found it annoying; he never expressed much concern.

Trav has continued with his work and the investment program with me. Both are going well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

This weekend finds us back on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown! We drove down from Kenora on Sunday afternoon, and began the process of catching up on the lawns and garden. Erin has been watering and keeping up with the peas and beans, but the rhubarb has overgrown its patch! Then, there are the weeds! So, I have done lots of pulling and hoeing weeds this week. I also picked about half of the rhubarb and got it cut up for freezing. It took some preliminary cuts, but the lawns are about down to regular height now. We've had rain, so they've been really growing.

Of course, Tuesday's featured colonoscopy was a big event, if not exactly a highlight! I started on my purge pills on Sunday evening, and then added Pico-Salax Monday and Tuesday morning. Why would someone give himself diarrhea?! Tuesday afternoon was my appointment at the hospital. I remarked over part of my instructions—"Bring your health card. Do not bring any money or jewelry." I laughed as I shared this with my American-resident brother. He assured me their instructions would be,"Bring your credit card and scrape together whatever money you can!" The nurse installed a needle in the back of my hand in anticipation of the drugs to be administered later, and soon I was wheeled to the operating theatre. I thought they were putting me out, but that didn't happen, so I got to watch their explorations of my nether regions on r large monitor–delightful! The doctor told me he only found a small untoward 'skin-tag' which he excised. I'll have an appointment later to go over the results. The only difficulty coming out of the operation was the air they injected into me to open up passageways; that caused a lot of cramping afterwards. The nurse told me just to go the washroom and let 'er rip! That helped!

We enjoyed our reunion with Travis, Erin & Kristian. It's been a good week as Kristian stayed home with us on two days. Trav and I have continued our investment practice, and also had another Advanced class on Monday evening. I have begun recovery from my disastrous last week; I gained 1.2% and am now at 5.8% gain in four weeks. This was particularly satisfying as the market lost money this week. It also compares well to the expected 0.5% per week; I'm feeling satisfied with our progress. We have also continued to refine our strategy, so we'll see how that goes.

We have received news from Zambia. It is good to hear of events there, even if it isn't all good news. We continue to be very concerned for their well-being, so we always like to be caught up on how things are going. Thanks: BK, Jack, Marti!

And that's about it for this week.